Exercising machine



Maich 7, 1967 T. T. GIBBS I 3,307,534

EXERCISING MACHINE Filed Aug. 5. 1965 l/VVENTOR THOMAS T. GIBBS United States Patent 3,307,534 EXERCISING MACHINE Thomas T. Gibbs, 1539 Edgeware Road, Victoria,

British Columbia, Canada Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 299,900 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-25) This invention relates to an exercising machine which is specifically arranged to stretch various members of the human body and at the same time impart motion thereto. Exercising machines heretofore designed have in the main been constructed so that only an adult of certain proportions is able to use them, and such machines have not taken into account the susceptibility of aged persons to injury by reason of a violent motion or motion of extraordinary latitude. It is appreciated that heretofore exercising machines have been devised whereby a gentle motion may be imparted to aged people. However, such machines are not especially suitable for persons who require exercise of more violent nature.

The present invention is not limited in use to human beings who may be aged or infirm as by virtue of the arrangement of its component parts, an individual may, by changing his position upon it, obtain either a gentle or more vigorous movement to his body parts. Furthermore, it is so constructed that it may be quite easily used by human beings of any height or weight.

The present invention consists of an exercising apparatus which, when arranged in assembled form, comprises an elongated substantially vertical hand supporting member pivotally supported intermediate its ends for oscillation on a horizontal axis, a substantially horizontally disposed movable platform member coupled to one of its ends to the lower end of the hand supporting member, and means to impart simultaneous vertical and horizontal oscillation to the other end of the platform member.

In the drawings, which illustrate embodiments of the invention,

FIGURE 1 is an isometric view of the invention partially cut away,

FIGURE 2 is a section taken along line 22 of FIG- URE 1, and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an embodiment of the invention taken in the same direction as FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, designates a rectangular base, which for purposes of strength may be composed of a material, such as hardwood or preferably steel. Secured to one end 11 of the base upon each side thereof, is a pair of spaced vertical supports 12 connected near their upper ends by a horizontal shaft 14. Gussets 16 secured by bolts 17 between said vertical supports and the base serve as lateral stiifeners to prevent lateral sway of the supports 12.

A ladder-like h-and support 18 having side members 20 and rungs 22 is pivotally journalled in a substantially vertical position on the shaft 14 for pivotal movement around an axis somewhat intermediate its ends so that some of the rungs 22 lie both above and below the shaft 14.

Secured on the other end 23 of the base 10 and perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis thereof, is a horizontal crank shaft 24. Journalled at each end is a pair of bearing blocks 25 secured to the upper ends of a pair of spaced angle supports 26, said angle supports being secured to the upper surface of the base 10.v The crank shaft 24 is provided at each end thereof with a crankarm 27 which, in its lower vertical position, will clear the base 10. A pair of horizontal stub shafts 29 are secured to the free end of each of the crank arms to protrude outwardly therefrom.

3 ,3 07,534 Patented Mar. -7, 1967 In the preferred form of the invention as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the crank shaft is driven through a suitable reduction gear, not shown, by an electric motor 32 which is firmly secured to the base 10 by bolts and nuts 33.

An elongated rectangular platform 35 which, as it is intended'to carry persons of various weights, should be composed of a strong material, such as hardwood or steel or the like, is coupled at one end 36 to the lower end 37 of the side members 20 of the band member 18. Any suitable coupling arrangement may be used, however, in the present example, it will be seen that the connection has been afiixed by a pair of bearing blocks 38 which are secured to said one end 36 of the platform and which are journalled in a horizontal supporting shaft 39 secured between the side members of the hand member 18 near their lower ends.

The other end 42 of the platform 35 is provided with a pair of spaced U-shaped brackets 43 depending downwardly from the underside of the platform and carrying at their lower ends a pair of bearing blocks 45, in which stub shafts 29 are journalled, and secured thereon by lock nuts 46 threaded over the outer ends of said stub shafts.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that with the exerciser in a state of repose, as indicated by solid lines in FIGURE 2, the platform 35 is substantially horizontal and the hand member 18 is substantially vertical. If the crank shaft 24 is rotated to a position as shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 2, the platform and hand member will assume positions also as shown by dotted lines in FIGURE 2, in which position the end 42 of the platform is moved backwardly and upwardly and the lower end of the hand member is swung backwardly. It will be seen that upon continued rotation of the crank shaft, although end 42 of the platform follows a rotational part, end 36 thereof will reciprocate in an arcuate path as the hand member reciprocately pivots on the horizontal shaft 14.

In using the apparatus, the feet are placed firmly upon the platform 35 and the hands placed on any one of the rungs 22 of the hand member. Upon the operation of electric motor 32, the simultaneous moving of both the hand member and platform, will tend to throw the person taking exercise backwardly and forwardly and at the same time impart a vertical motion to his body dependent, of course, upon what portion of the platform he is standing. It will be seen that if the feet are placed near the end 42 of the platform, the vertical motion will be greatly exaggerated and the closer his feet are placed to the end 36 thereof, the less will be the vertical motion imparted to his body. It should also be appreciated that the individual taking exercise might grasp the rungs 22 of the hand member either below or above the horizontal shaft 14 to impart different motions to various parts of his body.

As pointed out previously, it is preferred that the crank shaft be motor driven. However, for those individuals who require a more strenuous form of exercise, the electric motor 32 and reduction gear may be omitted and the crank shaft rotated by the exercising individual rowing the exerciser by means of the hand member 18.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. An exercising apparatus comprising an elongated hand supporting member, supporting base means, means on the base for pivotally supporting the hand supporting member in a substantially vertical position for oscillatory movement about a horizontal axis substantially intermediately of the ends of said supporting member, a crank member rotatably mounted on the supporting base means in horizontally spaced relationship to the hand supporting member for rotation about a horizontal axis parallel to said axis of said hand supporting member, and a sub stantially horizontally disposed elongated platform member coupled at one of its ends to the lower end of the hand supporting member for oscillation therewith and at its other end to the crank member, whereby oscillatory movement of said hand supporting member and the said one end of the platform member connected thereto will result in rotational movement of the crank member and the other end of the platform member connected thereto.

2. An exercising apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the hand supporting member comprises a l-adder like frame having horizontal rungs above and below its oscillatory axis.

3. An exercising apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including drive means connected to the crank member for rotating the latter.

4. 4. An exercising apparatus as claimed in claim 3 in which said drive means comprises an electric motor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,453,771 11/1948 White et a1. 12825 2,629,373 2/1953 Lanstedt 12833 2,892,455 6/1-959 Hutton 12825 3,134,378 5/1964 Harwood 12825 ROBERT E. MORGAN, Acting Primary Examiner- RICHARD A. GAUDET, Examiner.

L. W. TRAPP, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN EXERCISING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED HAND SUPPORTING MEMBER, SUPPORTING BASE MEANS, MEANS ON THE BASE FOR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING THE HAND SUPPORTING MEMBER IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION FOR OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY INTERMEDIATELY OF THE ENDS OF SAID SUPPORTING MEMBER, A CRANK MEMBER ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORTING BASE MEANS IN HORIZONTALLY SPACED RELATIONSHIP TO THE HAND SUPPORTING MEMBER FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS PARALLEL TO SAID AXIS OF SAID HAND SUPPORTING MEMBER, AND A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED ELONGATED PLATFORM MEMBER COUPLED AT ONE OF ITS ENDS TO THE LOWER END OF THE HAND SUPPORTING MEMBER FOR OSCILLATION THEREWITH AND AT ITS OTHER END TO THE CRANK MEMBER, WHEREBY OSCILLATORY MOVEMENT OF SAID HAND SUPPORTING MEMBER AND THE SAID ONE END OF THE PLATFORM MEMBER CONNECTED THERETO WILL RESULT IN ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT OF THE CRANK MEMBER AND THE OTHER END OF THE PLATFORM MEMBER CONNECTED THERETO. 